Air-brake.



N0. 636,954. Patented Nov. I4, |899. M. CORRINGTUN.

Al R B R A K E. (Applcman mnd mig. 5. 1399.)

(Hofmann.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MURRAY CORRINGTON, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

AlR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters lateut No. 636,954, dated November 14, 1899.

Application tiled August 5, 1899.

T0 @ZZ whom in' may concer-11,:

Be it known that I, MURRAY CoRRINGToN, a citizen of the United States, residing at'New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in a quick-action triple valve forming a part of an automatic fluid-pressure brake system which will be pointed out in the following speciication and more particularly in the claims hereunto annexed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is the usual vertical section of a quick-action triple valve and illustrating my improvements adapted to vent the train-pipe air to the atmosphere; and Fig. 2 is a similar section of a portion of a triple-valve casing, showing an arrangement when it is desired to vent the train-pipe air into the brake-cylinder. 1

Going Iirst to Fig. 1, the casing is composed of parts 1, 2, and 3. The triple valve operates in the main casing land includes the piston 4, main Valve 5, spring 6, and graduating-valve 7. All these parts operate in the usual manner familiar to those skilled in the art. Casing 2 also contains the graduatingstem 8, spring 9, and nut 10, which serve the usual purpose. The exhaust-port Aleads to .the atmosphere, the port or passage B leads "to the brake-cylinder, and the port O leads from the triple-valve chamber into the vertical chamber in which the piston 63 operates.

The casing 3 has the usual train-pipe nozzle'attached thereto and is itself fastened to the under side of casing 1 in the usual manner.

In'a convenient part of the valve-casing I arrange two chambers D and E, which are preferablyboth inclosed within the casing 3. Between these chambers is a partition which is controlledY by a valve 41 in line with and adapted yto be operated by the movement of piston 63. Between the chamber D and the train-pipeis a device 15, which answers the purpose both of a valve-seat for a check-valve 13 and also of a piston-chamber for a piston 16, which is preferably screwed onto the stem of the check-valve 15 and which also preferably has a packing-ring, as shown. Both the upper and lower portions ofthe check- Serial No. 726,283. (No model.)

valve 13 are made hollow, as shown. In the upper hollow portion is inserted the spring 14, which tends both to hold the valve 13 closed and likewise the valve 41 and piston 63 in the normal positions shown in the drawings. To'the lower end of the steinf of the valve 13 is coupled a valve 25, which controls a large port to the atmosphere through the cap 24. This valve is normally closed by the spring 26.

A partition 3a, preferably made integral with the casing 3, separates the chamber E from the chamber of piston 63.` On the under side of piston 63 is a valve 63a,which when forced downward rests upon a seat in a bushing 3b, which extends through the partition 3a. I prefer to arrange the mechanism in the lower portion of the casing 3, as shown in theV drawings, so that by taking off the cap 24 all of the parts 13,14, 15, 16, 25, 26, and 4 1 may be removed without breaking any of the connections proper of the triple-valve casing `to the other parts of the system.

The peration of the mechanism will be readily understood. Air being charged' into the train-pipe goes past the triple-valve piston into the auxiliary reservoir, charging the same in the usual manner. At the same time the air will leak past the piston 16 and the check-valve 13 into the chamber D, filling the same with pressure equal to that in the train-pipe. If desired, a small pin-hole 15' may be made'just above the piston 16, so as to assist in admitting compressed air into chamber D. The valve 25 is coupled loosely to the lower end of the stem of the valve 13, so that the valve 13 may rise slightly from its seat before the valve 25 is opened. When the brakes are to be set in a service application, the train-pipe pressure is lowered gradually, causing the triple valve to move back against the stop 8 and admitting air from reservoir past the valve 'Z to the passage B to the brake-cylinder after the usual manner of the triple valve. When the brakes are to be set in an emergency, an extraordinary reduction of the train-pipe pressure causes the triple valve to move through its full traverse to the left and admit reservoirpressure through the passage O upon the piston 63, forcing it downward until the valve 63.rests upon the valve-seat 3b. This movetrain.

lnent opens the valve 41 and instantly equalizes the pressure between chambersDand E, the latter chamber containing normally only atmospheric pressure. As chamberE is preferably four or five times as large as chamber D, the opening of the valve 41 will cause an instant reduction of pressurein chamber D, and therefore above piston 16, from about seventy pounds to ten or fifteen pounds. The high train-pipe pressure on the under side of piston 16 will thereupon lift that piston upward and open the valve 25 by means of the pin 25, thus venting the train-pipe air through a large port past the valve 25 to the atmosphere and causing the similar operation of the triple valves on theadjoining cars of the The air will continue to fiow out of the train-pipe until the pressure on the under side of piston 16 falls sufficiently to enable the spring 26, which may of course be made of any desired tension, to close the valve 25. It will be noticed also that the spring 14 likewise tends to draw the piston 16 downward, so that valve 25 may be closed. Meanwhile the auxiliary-reservoir pressure will expand rapidly to the brake-cylinder through the port in the end of the slide-valve and the passage B, and likewise through the passage C around the piston 63, which is made, preferably, without a packing-ring and fits its chamber easily or loosely. When the brakecylinder pressure on the under side of piston 63 rises sufficiently, the spring 14 lifts the valve 41 and piston 63 back to'normal position and closes the valve 41. The train-pipe pressure may then be increased in the usual manner to move the triple valve to normal or release position. As quickly as this takes place, any remaining pressure in chamber E leaks out gradually past the stem of piston 63 and escapes to the atmosphere, thus putting the mechanism in condition for the next emergency operation.

In Fig. 2 I have removed the piston 16, the valve 25, and the spring 26 and have plugged up the port to the atmosphere with the plug 27. I have also omitted the bushing 3b and have made a seat for the valve 63 on the upper part of the partition 3a, as shown. I have likewise bored a hole through this partition and inserted a plug 28. Fig. 2therefo're represents the changes to be made from Fig. 1 when it is desired to vent the train-pipe air into the brake-cylinder instead of into the atmosphere. It will of course be necessary to remove the plug 28, thus permitting the trainpipe air to be vented past valves 13 and 41, through chambers D and E, to the brakecylinder.

Fig. 1 may, if desired, have the plug 28 inserted therein, so that when it becomes desirable to vent the train-pipe air into the brakecylinder it can be done by simply removing the plug 28. I have said that the valve 25 was coupled to the stem of the valve 13. This is simply because it represents a convenience of construction. The only reason for making the piston 16 as shown and screwing it onto the stem of the valve 13 is to facilitate its removal when it becomes desirable to arrange the mechanism as shown in Fig. 2. As a matter of fact, however, it is the piston 16 which opens the valve 25 and it is placed in the construction solely for that purpose. Therefore in so far as the operation of the' mechanism is concerned it may be said that the valve 25 is in reality coupled to or at least operatively connected with the piston 16. If the piston 16 in Fig. 1, for instance, were removed, the opening of the valve 41 would cause just suficient upward movement of the check-valve 13 not to open the valve 25, but merely to allow enough of the compressed air to pass into chambers D and E to fill them. Hence it is the piston 16 which opens the valve 25 and accomplishes the desired result of venting the train-pipe air in sufficient amount to make the device an operative mechanism.

In Fig. 1 the valve 25 is the emergencyvalve proper and vents the train-pipe air to the atmosphere, the valve 41 being a mere equalizing-valve for equalizing the pressure between the chambers D and E. In Fig. 2

the valve 25 is removed and the valve 41 becomes the emergency-valve proper, venting the train-pipe air into the brake-cylinder.

I claim- 1. In an automatic air-brake system, the combination, with a triple-valve mechanism, of two chambers, one containing atmospheric pressure and the other fluid under pressure,an equalizing-valve controlling a port between said chambers, a piston actuated by pressure, admitted from the auxiliary reservoir on the full traverse of the triple valve, in direction to open said valve, an emergency-valve for venting the train-pipe air to the atmosphere, and a supplemental piston normally exposed on one side to the pressure in one of said chambers and on the other to train-pipe pressure, which is unbalanced. on the opening of said equalizingvalve, so as to open said emergency-valve.

2. In an automatic air-brake system, the combination, with a triple-valve mechanism, of a main casing containing the triple valve proper, a supplemental casing having two chambers normally containing fluid at unequal pressures, an equalizing-valve controlling a port between said chambers, a piston in the main-valve casing actuated by pressure, admitted from the auxiliary reservoir on the full traverse of the triple valve, in direction to open said valve, a supplemental piston normally balanced between equal fluid pressures and an emergency-valve controling a port from the train-pipe t0 the atmosphere and operated by said supplemental piston.

MURRAY CORRINGTON. Witnesses:

FREDK. M. HERRICK, JOHN H. FLEURY.

IOO 

